The Prophecy
by DemonSaya
Summary: The mouth to hell is about to open. In order for it to close again, a powerful human has to throw themselves into it. And what does Kagome's dream have to do with it? InuxKag
1. 0

The Prophecy

By: Demonsaya

**0**

Once every five hundred years, a portal opens. It is a portal between the realm of man, and the underworld.

When it opens, all the demons of hell will pour forward, ravaging the earth, a senseless slaughter of all mankind. Anything with even a trace of human blood will be wiped from the planet.

And the only way to close the portal...is for a human to willingly sacrifice themself. Then, the portal shall be sealed for another half millenia.

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The world was shaking. Kagome hung for dear life to the hand which was wrapped tightly around her own. "Don't let go!" She cried to the hanyou gripping her hand for dear life.

Inuyasha hung perilously over the mouth of hell, which was threatening to swallow them both. He looked up at the girl who was struggling to hold him up. A thousand emotions ran through him and he smiled sadly. There was no way Kagome could pull him up on her own. If she didn't just let him fall, she would get drug to hell also. "Let go, Kagome! You'll get drug in too!" He shouted.

"NO!" She screamed. He was slipping! Her hands were sweating furiously. "I wont!" She shook her head. "I love you..." She felt tears falling down her face. "I can't let you go!"

He smiled a true smile. "Kagome..." He closed his eyes. "I love you, too." Then he let go of her hand.

Kagome's eyes widened as his hand slipped from hers and she watched him falling...

"INUYASHA!"

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_AN: I got this idea in my head, and now it wont go away. sorry about the shortness of this chapter, but you know, it is only chapter 0, or the prolouge, so I didn't want to over do it. Besides, I wanted to put in this evil cliffy! Hahaha! Read to find out what happens next!_


	2. 1

The Prophecy

By: Demonsaya

**1**

Kagome awoke with a startled cry, reaching out for the hanyou that wasn't there. She stared around her bedroom in shock and forced herself to take deep steadying breaths. Her heart thundered in her chest and her entire body was covered in sweat. "Just a dream..." She whispered, closing her eyes. "Just a nightmare..."

It was still dark outside, but she had a distinct feeling that she wouldn't be getting any more sleep that night. The dream had felt entirely too real. Too tangible. It was too vivid. Slowly, she sat up, and pulled out a small book. Inside it, she kept her dreams. She began to write it down, the terror in her building with each word. She closed her eyes, trying to remember exactly what happened, but it was already slipping away.

"He said something...what on earth did he say..." Kagome pondered, thumping her forhead with the pencil. It was something important, why couldn't she remember! With a frustrated shake of her head, she finished writing it down and stood, stretching. She had been writing down her dreams for about two years now, since she started going to Sengoku Jidai.

She sighed, walking to her closet and pulling out a towel and a robe. Too often, her dreams came true, or were at least very accurate when they involved the disgruntled hanyou. She walked into the bathroom, pulling off her pajama. She started a shower, sighing deeply. She could still see the smile he gave her before letting go of her hand. His true smile. He'd seemed happy.

"Probably because he was going to be able to be with Kikyou..." She muttered darkly, stepping under the spray. It didn't make any sense to her. Inuyasha was still alive. If Kikyou loved him, wouldn't she want for him to live? Wouldn't she want for him to be happy, even if it meant she were unhappy?

After all, didn't she and Kikyou share a soul?

Kagome looked down at her hand. It was true, she and Kikyou shared a soul, but their life experiences were completely different, which made them very different people. Kikyou was also only a clay shell, made from bones and earth, driven by anger alone.

Kagome, on the other hand, was alive, the soul was now hers. She took a shuddering breath, wondering if perhaps the reason Inuyasha DIDN'T love her was that reason. They were too different.

She shrugged it off, and pulled out her shampoo bottle, squeezing a dolop onto her hand, and then scrubbing her hair fiercely. She needed to get her mind off of that stuff. After all, it wasn't her fault that Inuyasha was in love with Kikyou. It wasn't anyone's fault. The heart was stupid.

Insanely stupid.

It had to be, otherwise, Kagome would NOT be in love with the half-demon, and she'd be dating someone sensible.

Like Hojo.

Kagome cringed at the thought. He hated how he treated her like she was fragile. At least Inuyasha knew she wouldn't break if he handled her a tiny bit roughly. At least Inuyasha would ARGUE with her for gods sake. She shook her head hard. Wasn't she NOT supposed to be thinking about this?

She finished her shower and toweled off. She glanced towards the small clock in the bathroom (kept their for purposes of children not being late to school) and frowned a bit. She'd been in there for almost an hour. Two more and Inuyasha would be coming for her. She sighed, pulling the robe around herself and grabbing her hair dryer.

Just because she was going back in time to be a shard detector didn't mean she couldn't look good doing it.

She smirked a bit, then rolled her eyes. Not like it mattered. The one person who's attention she wanted, she was never going to get. She drug her brush through her hair and sighed, wondering for the millionth time why she was in love with him. It's not like he was particularly nice, and he certainly didn't treat her well.

Yet...

He always had protected her. He had always looked after her. He was gentle in his own way, and underneath that hard exterior, she knew there was just a big softy. She almost laughed out loud at the idea.

She smiled sadly, reaching up and touching the shards of the jewel around her neck. Even if she was nothing to him, he was her world. He represented every reason she had to continue on living.

It would rip her apart when he went to hell with Kikyou.

A tired sigh escaped her.

"Inuyasha..." She whispered, closing her eyes as a single tear escaped.

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Inuyasha sat abruptly, blinking his eyes hard. "What the hell was THAT!" He muttered, rubbing his now very sore head. He hated waking up with nightmares. His head always hurt like crazy afterwards.

Probably the result of a build up of stupid emotions. He stretched like a cat, digging his claws into the tree. Soon he had to go pick up that stupid wench. He leaned his head back against the tree and relaxed. Still, he had enough time to think for a bit before the inevitable argument that would come from him trying to bring her back here.

He let his mind wander back to his dream and pondered the emotions that had come up from it.

"Why the hell was I so happy?" He wondered. "I fucking was going to die." He grumbled, unable to comprehend his feelings in the dream. "Keh. It was just a stupid dream anyways!" He muttered, glancing down at the wounds in the tree. Sap oozed from the places his claws had torn and he twitched.

With a sigh, he rolled, dropping to the ground and lazily walking towards the well house. Kagome probably wasn't even out of bed yet, so it wouldn't hurt if he went to gather in her scent for a little while. It would probably ease the knot in his stomach, and it would calm him enough that he could act normally when he saw her again.

He looked into the well, and sighed, grabbing the lip with one hand and swinging himself into the portal. He felt a jerk, and then his feet touched the ground. He looked up and saw the roof of the well house. Her scent lingered here lightly, it having been almost two full days since she'd been inside it. He breathed deeply, but it wasn't strong enough. With an annoyed sigh, he crept from the well house and moved towards the main house.

He glanced towards Kagome's window and saw it was cracked just slightly to let the cool night air in. He jumped from the ground, and landed nimbly on the sill, sliding it open carefully. Her room was empty, but her scent lingered heavy. He breathed deeply, his body slowly relaxing. Slowly, he slipped in, lowering the window behind him. He moved to a dark corner, breathing in her scent steadily.

The door opened, admitting the girl. She was wrapped in a thick terry cloth robe, and her skin glowed, as though freshly cleaned. She paused for a moment, and then her eyes fell upon him. He saw the eyes brightened slightly, and a strange expression washed across her face.

It was almost like...relief.

"Inuyasha..." She said softly, walking towards him, and dropping to the ground at his side. "I thought you were going to pick me up in a few hours..."

He looked away. "Keh, like I care..." He grumbled, squashing whatever that was that just perked inside of him. He would never admit it to anyone, but he liked it when she said his name. It made a part of him warm involuntarily. He forced a scowl onto his face. "Go ahead and sit me or whatever."

She smiled, arching an eyebrow. "I wasn't going to sit you, Inuyasha. I was actually kind of glad to see you. I had a really bad dream..." She said, lowering her eyes to the ground. "My dreams have been becoming more and more accurate lately, and...well, honestly, it's got me worried."

He glanced towards her. It was true. She had started having increasingly vivid, frightening dreams. Dreams that had woken the entire camp up in the middle of the night due to her screams. Later, he would find out that recent events had been eerily parallel to her dreams. "Do you want to tell me?" He asked evenly.

Kagome slowly leaned against him. "No...not right now...it's still too fresh..." She slowly relaxed against him, sighing just a bit. "Thank you...for offering to listen, though."

He glanced towards her out of the corner of his eyes and the corner of his mouth twitched. He opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by a sudden tremor of the earth.

The girl beside him didn't seem particularly phased by this. "We've been having alot of mini-quakes in this area..." She commented idly. "They've been getting worse the past few days. A few 'Evangelists' are preaching that it's the end of the world." She laughed dryly. "Then again, they always do that."

Inuyasha glanced towards her, a strange expression on his face. "Kagome..." He said softly.

She looked at him, smiling. "Nani?"

"What's an 'Eevangulist'?"

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Kikyou felt the ground shudder and lifted her face to the sky. The prophecy was coming. Her eyes narrowed faintly. She reached down, lightly resting her hand against the earth. It would be soon. Silently, she hoped that the jewel would be complete by then, so she and Inuyasha could take the easy way into hell, and his blood being partially human, it would seal the hell-mouth for another five hundred years.

Her eyes narrowed, and she remembered her vision that morning. "Inuyasha...he will die." She said evenly. Her lips turned up into a faint smile. "And we can finally rest..."

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Kouga felt the tremble and looked up. His face darkened. Something was coming. Something dark and dangerous. Evil.

The other wolves in his pack were shuddering from the sudden presence of pure evil.

Kouga closed his eyes. "The hell-mouth is going to open." He said evenly.

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Rin cried out in schock as a crack appeared in the earth between herself and Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" She cried, unable to jump across the gap. It was too far! She watched the demon pause and then glance down into the hole. Her eyes followed his.

"Don't look." He ordered. Hell wraiths. His eyes narrowed and he jumped across the gap, lifting her carefully. "You must not look." He covered her eyes carefully and jumped back to the side where Jaken and Ah Un waited.

"My lord...is that...!"

Sesshoumaru's face darkened. Then, he turned on his foot, walking away from the slowly widening gap.

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"Come on, dammit!" Inuyasha growled, glaring at the girl. "Shit, why are you so slow!"

Kagome simply rolled her eyes. As usual, Inuyasha's mood had done a complete one-eighty. A sigh escaped her and she shrugged. "Because I'm human." She pointed out. She saw him glare at her. "Well it's true." She pointed out. "I'm not nearly as fast as you. Plain and simple."

"Just hurry the hell up." He complained, stomping towards the well.

Kagome followed as quickly as she could, while being hindered by her over-sized bag. She met him there and noticed an anxious look on his face. He was staring into the well and sniffing deeply. "Inuyasha? What is it?"

His eyes widened. "The village is in danger." He looked at her closely. "Leave your bag, it'll just get in the way. You ain't getting any 'studying' done anytime soon if I'm right..." He saw the nervous expression on her face and growled, grabbing the straps of the pack and practically ripped it off her back. "Dammit!" Without a word, he put his arm around her, and jumped into the well.

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha as they touched bottom. "What in the world is wrong?" She asked as he jumped out of the well, her with him.

"The hell-mouth." He ground out. "Fuck." He shifted her around so she was on his back and broke into a dead sprint towards the village. "Goddammit!"

"Inuyasha? What's the hell-mouth?" Kagome asked softly. He was tense. She could feel it all through his shoulders and see it in his eyes. No...not tense...SCARED. Her eyes widened. Why would he be scared about this? Why was he so convinced the village was in danger?

A strange feeling washed over her and she clung to the hanyou. "Inuyasha...I feel strange..." She said softly, her limbs weakening. She saw his eyes narrow. "What is happening, Inuyasha...what's happening to me!"

"The hell wraiths..." He said evenly, glancing back at her. "I heard a story...when I was a kid. Every five hundred years or so, the mouth of hell will open, spewing forth it's most evil demons, and the land will be bathed with blood." His eyes narrowed darkly. "The hell wraiths cause feelings of weakness, hopelessness."

She nodded slowly, accepting it. She didn't fully understand, but there were many things in life she didn't understand. They entered the village and saw Miroku and Kaede had set up a shield. The pair passed through easily, and Kagome jumped down, running towards the old priestess and young monk. "Kaede-obaa-chan! Miroku-sama!"

The glanced towards her only briefly. "Sorry if we don't welcome you properly, Kagome-sama." Miroku said, his brow covered with sweat.

Kagome dropped to her knees. "Is there any way I can help?"

Kaede shook her head. "No...this...is my destiny...If Kikyou were still alive...it would be hers instead, but...someone must close the hell-mouth..." She was weakening. "I must throw myself into it to do so."

Kagome felt a rather violent quake and stumbled. Inuyasha caught her carefully. She looked up at him and saw his eyes were narrow. "Inuyasha, what is she talking about!"

His face twitched a bit. "A person with human blood has to willingly throw themself into the hell-mouth to seal it." His eyes narrowed. "Preferably a person with powers. A priestess, a monk..." His eyes narrowed in disgust. "Or a hanyou."

Her eyes widened. 'No way...it can't be...this can't be happening. My dream...' She lifted her hands to the jewels around her neck. "Inuyasha..." She said softly. "My dream is coming true." She said softly. "The nightmare I had last night...it's happening..." De ja vu started to overwhelm her and she heard Sango calling out to her. She turned and saw the taijiya pointing at an area just in front of her feet.

She looked down and saw a crack winding it's way towards her. Quickly she danced out of the way. She looked at Kaede. "Kaede-obaa-chan!"

Kaede felt her strength flee her and she fell backwards, her mind going blank. Then, there was nothing.

Kagome cried out in shock and Miroku rapidly caught the old woman. He quickly took her pulse, then looked at Kagome, his face solemn. Slowly, he shook his head. Gently, he lay the old priestess on the ground. "She's dead." He said softly.

Kagome covered her mouth, staring at the old woman's face. Slowly, her gaze moved towards Miroku, who was frowning faintly, then Sango, who's expression mirrored her own. Then Inuyasha, who was looking away, his expression hidden from her view.

"Keh...I guess there's no choice." He complained. "We've got to find the hell-mouth." He said, cracking his knuckles. "If for nothing else, to try to stop some of the demons that are probably going to be coming out of it around noon tomorrow if my nose isn't wrong." He saw them looking at him and his eyes narrowed. "Do any of you have a better idea! If you do, I'd love to hear it! I don't care what it is. What they are. I'm not going to sit here passively waiting for them to come annialate us!"

Kagome felt a swell of pride in her chest. Yet, she had a distinct feeling that although his plan was really their only option, this was a BAD idea. She closed her eyes and nodded slowly, making up her mind. If push came to shove...She'd throw herself onto the grenade. She looked at Inuyasha and forced a smile. "Let's do it."

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_AN: Another chapter gone, and the beginning of the real action. Sorry to those of you who hate me for killing of Kaede, but I had to. To those of you who have already reviewed this story in it's short life, thank you. I hope to make future chapters much MUCH longer...if I can..._


	3. 2

The Prophecy

By: Demonsaya

**2**

Inuyasha carried Kagome on his back, sprinting forward. They had left Shippou with a family in the village, telling him that it was for his own safety, which, of course, it was. The demon hunter and the monk rode on Kirara, who was looking rather peevish.

Kagome held Inuyasha gently, silently making her decision. Inuyasha was precious to her. She wanted him to live. He had already sacrificed so much for all of them. He would always use himself as a shield between them and harm.

It was her turn to return the favor. She closed her eyes tightly, hugging Inuyasha's neck just a bit tighter.

"Oi, Kagome..." Inuyasha glanced back at her. "Are you scared?" He asked softly. She had insisted on coming along, though he had wanted her to remain with Shippou in the village. She had been quiet the own trip, and he silently wondered what her was.

She smiled, resting her cheek against his. "No." She said honestly. "I'll be okay." She promised, not telling him what her choice was. She wanted to remember these last few moments with him, and she wanted to hold them close to her heart.

He saw her smiling sadly and frowned. "You aren't getting any crazy ideas about jumping into the hell-mouth are you?" His eyes narrowed when he saw her eyes open and then were startlingly clear.

"Don't worry about me, Inuyasha. I'm not the one who gets crazy ideas like that." She rested her head against his, and closed her eyes. She heard his light chuckle and glanced towards him. "Hm?"

"How do you manage to stay like this when we're in danger?" He asked, smiling faintly. This would probably be their last fight. Pity. It looked like Naraku would obtain the jewel after all. He lowered his eyes to the ground. It was certainly his own last fight. If the choice came up, between his friends and himself...screw it. He jumped up the mountain side, and glanced behind him, seeing Miroku and Sango thinking quietly.

Kagome examined Inuyasha's profile and tightened her grip around his neck once more. It wasn't a big deal if she died. Inuyasha could go explain what happened to her parents. Her momma would be so proud of her! She smiled again, glancing towards Inuyasha. "Promise me you wont do anything stupid?"

"You mean besides what we're already doing?" He asked. "I'll try, but Kagome, if someone has to go into the hell-mouth, it has to be me. I owe it to Kikyou." He glanced towards her and saw the slightly sad look on her face and shifted her carefully. "Kagome, it's better this way."

"It could never be better if you're gone." She said softly, her eyes sad.

He looked at her in surprise. "K-kagome?"

She rested her cheek against his shoulder, and clung to him. "I want for us to always be together." She said softly, a tear falling down her face.

He touched her hand lightly. "I want that too..." He said softly.

Kagome looked at him in surprise. Slowly, she turned her face into his neck and hid the faint blush on her face. "Oh, Inuyasha..." She whispered, another tear falling down her face, following the first.

He looked up. They were almost there...just a bit further. He growled, pushing up with his feet, every muscle tightening before he sprang up, landing on the plateau. On the other side, there was a steep cliff, which was the entrance to the hell-mouth. He carefully set Kagome down and looked around. "It's going to open soon." He warned as Kirara set down. He pulled his sword free and glanced towards Kagome, who wore a pensive expression on her face.

"Now..." She whispered.

A huge earthquake shook the earth, and Kagome watched as a crack snaked it's way towards Inuyasha. Her eyes widened and she cried out. "Your feet!"

He looked down, dancing out of the way just as the crack split, leaving him on one side, and Kagome across the ever widening gap. Kagome stood on a small piece of rock all by herself, there was no way he could defend her if the demon's came towards her. "Kagome!"

He watched as Sango guided Kirara towards Kagome, who climbed up onto it's back. He breathed a sigh of relief, then looked down into the crack. The wraiths were scrambling up the sides of the cliff. "Shit..." He cursed, lifting the sword and sending an attack towards them. Several were knocked down and sent back to hell.

Everyone else followed suit with their own attacks. Kagome stood on the edge of the cliff, sending her arrows down into the lesser demons. This went on for what felt like hours. "There's no end to them!" Sango gasped, wiping sweat from her brow. She was getting tired, and from the look on everyone's face, they all were.

The earth shook again, and Kagome, who was standing on the edge of the cliff stumbled, losing her footing and falling.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha lunged forward, catching her hand. He winced, digging his claws into the rock, trying to keep her from falling the rest of the way in.

The dream filled Kagome's mind. 'That's right...he saved me first...then he fell in afterwards. He said he loved me.' Kagome lifted her eyes to Inuyasha's and she lifted her free hand to the jewel hanging around her neck. Roughly, she broke the chain and she looked up at him. "Inuyasha, give me your other hand!" She cried, tears in her eyes.

He quickly extended it to her and pulled her up. He jumped in shock when her arms went around his neck and her lips pressed against his. He felt her press something into his hand, and then she smiled at him.

"I love you, Inuyasha." She said softly, then slowly unwound her arms from his neck, closing her eyes, letting herself fall into the hell-mouth.

"KAGOME! NO!" He reached down, trying to catch her hand once again, but their fingers only touched briefly before she was suddenly gone. He stared down into the hell-mouth as it began to seal, tears falling down his face.

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Kikyou walked towards the hell-mouth, her eyes narrow. Inuyasha lay on the edge, but the hanyou's face was hidden from her view. The demon hunter and the monk were embracing tightly, and crying. She walked closer to the edge and peered over. Her face darkened. "Where is she?"

Miroku glared at the woman. "She gave herself to the hell-mouth." He snarled at her. "Get the hell away from here."

She turned away from the monk, looking at her lover. "Inuyasha...you were the one supposed to fall into the hell-mouth." She said coldly. "We were supposed to go together!"

Inuyasha didn't speak to her. He didn't even know she was there. "Kagome..." He whispered, heartbroken. Slowly, he sat upright, and buried his face into his hands, crying, unashamed. "You idiot!" He whispered fiercely. "You weren't supposed to fall in...It should have been me! Why'd you do it?" He looked down into the palm of his hand and saw what she'd pressed there.

The shards.

They glittered up at him, mocking him. He shook his head hard. "It's not worth it." He whispered fiercely, his face darkening.

_' They've been getting worse the past few days. A few 'Evangelists' are preaching that it's the end of the world.'_

Kagome's words from earlier filled his brain and he stood slowly. "Every five hundred years." His eyes widened. "FUCK!" He turned, seeing Kikyou with the angry look on her face. His face hardened. Slowly, he turned to look at their friends. "You guys are going to have to wait for me for a few days."

"Where are you going?"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to bring Kagome back." He said evenly.

Kikyou's eyes widened. He was going to hell to bring her reincarnation back, but he was hesitating to go to hell with her! Her face darkened. "Inuyasha..." She said evenly.

He turned to glare at her. "I was the one who was supposed to fall in there, she knew it. I dreamed it last night, and I have a distinct feeling she did too." He snarled. "She died to protect me." He had never been so angry in his life. "Kagome loves me. You are obsessed with me."

Everyone stared at him as he faced off against his dead lover. Sango's jaw lowered just a big and Miroku straight gaped at the hanyou. They had never heard him speak so harshly to Kikyou, especially not in Kagome's defense.

"If you loved me, you would have trusted me! At the first test of faith, we both fell! You don't love me, and I don't love you." He paused, taking a deep breath. "So just go to hell." He turned on his heal and began walking down the steep mountain.

Kikyou was so startled by the demon's words, she was rendered unable to move.

Sango and Miroku shrugged, climbing on Kirara's back and followed the demon who was storming down the mountainside. "Inuyasha, what are you going to do?" Miroku asked.

"All the fucking hellmouth wants is the person's power. All it needs is power to shut it down. I am a hanyou. Kagome's world is five hundred years in the future. She fell into the hellmouth for me, I'm going to do the same to find her." He snarled, his hands balled so tightly into fists, his claws were digging into his palms. He didn't even notice that he was bleeding.

"Inuyasha, Kagome gave her life to save you. Do you really think it will make her happy if you kill yourself five hundred years later?"

"Then what should I do, Miroku! She at least deserves to know the truth."

Miroku opened his mouth to object, but Sango just placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "Inuyasha has made his decision. You can't expect him to change his mind. Even if it is terribly reckless...and insanely suicidal."

Inuyasha glanced back at them. "Kagome always does reckless things for me." He said, idly remembering a time where she'd jumped in front of one of her own arrows, shielding him from danger. It had struck her in the back. His eyes softened a bit and he looked down at his bleeding hands. Now that he thought about it, she had said pretty much the same thing to him, that time.

(AN: That's from Inuyasha the Movie 2; Beyond the Looking Glass)

Miroku sighed, silently agreeing with the hanyou. Sango nodded in agreement. "Too true." She said sadly. This last one had been the final and fatal straw.

How were they going to tell Shippou?

It took them less than a day to reach the village, and they were pretty much silent the whole way back. When they reached it, Shippou came bounding towards them, his eyes wide. "How was the battle! Was it fun! Where's Kagome? Did she go home! I was really hoping to play with her too!"

Inuyasha caught the kit in mid-air, and placed a hand over his mouth. "No, the battle wasn't fun, and NO, Kagome didn't go home." With that, he tossed the kit towards Sango. "I'm going to go see Kouga and Sesshoumaru really quick. I'll be back in a day or two."

"Miroku, Sango, what did Inuyasha no yatsu mean? Where's Kagome!" Shippou asked, beginning to panic. "Kagome!" He desperately looked behind them, hoping she was just unconscious, not dead.

Miroku took a deep breath, glancing towards Sango, who was gently stroaking the kits hair, tears rolling down her face. "She's gone, Shippou." He said softly. "She's gone."

Inuyasha walked away, hearing the child's mourning wails. He clenched his hands into fists, moving away from the village rapidly. He only had a short amount of time to complete his task before the hellmouth opened in Kagome's realm.

He only hoped he moved quickly enough.

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_AN: Don't kill me. This really isn't meant to be a dark fic. Fluffy and Kouga scenes next chapter. Soon to follow, Inuyasha opening a can of whoop-ass on Naraku's evil butt. Stay tuned._


	4. 3

The Prophecy

By: Demonsaya

**3**

Kagome slowly opened her eyes, trying to remember how she came to be where ever it was she lay at the moment. Her skin was gritty, and she ran her hands over her arms, trying to warm herself. She was cold. Part of that might have to do with the fact that she was completely naked.

A faint blush covered her face. Even in the immense darkness, she felt exposed. She shivered, wrapping her arms around her chest, trying to hide her breasts. Where was she? Where was Inuyasha? Were they all okay? Was Inuyasha somewhere in this place as well.

Slowly, the memory of what happened began to return to her. She sat upright, looking around what could only be described as her prison. 'That's right, I fell into the hellmouth.' She looked down, her face sad. 'I just couldn't let Inuyasha die instead of me...I'd rather be dead than have him die...'

She felt tears rolling down her face at the last expression she'd ever seen on his face. So much pain, tears falling down his face. "Oh, Inuyasha..." She whispered softly. She bit her lip and wiped her eyes. She had never seen him look so desperate in his life. She hoped he wouldn't do something terribly drastic. It had been her choice to do what she did.

"I see you're awake."

The voice caused her to jump startled, and she quickly covered her nudity with her arms and hands. "Who's there!" She asked, her face frightened.

A figure stepped into the light. His skin tone was very dark, his hair was black, and his eyes were red. He looked down at her with an arched eyebrow. "I must admit, it was a bit of a surprise when you fell in, rather than that hanyou." He mused, looking down at her, arching a fine eyebrow.

She scooted back from him. "Why is that?"

"Because he was the one who was supposed to sacrifice himself. Oh, well." A shrug. "I suppose we'll be seeing him sink soon enough, anyways."

Kagome looked up at him in shock. "NO!" She cried. "Inuyasha shouldn't have to sacrifice himself for his friends any more! He's already done so much for us!"

The man arched an eyebrow. "It was his time, and your meddling messed it up."

"Then maybe you should have thought about what could go wrong before you opened the hellmouth!" She snapped, glaring at him. "I did what I did because I love him, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!" She forced herself to her feet, her chocolate eyes full of angry fire.

"Do you know who I am, girl?" The man roughly grabbed her face.

"No, and I don't particularly care!" She snapped. "I want you to leave Inuyasha out of this! He's a good person, and he deserves to live!"

The man laughed at her. HER! "He isn't a person. He's a monster, inspite of what you and your friends may think. That half of him that's human, it doesn't give him a soul, it just makes him weaker than others like him." The man shoved her away, his eyes filled with contempt.

"He has more of a soul than some human's I know." Kagome replied scathingly. She saw the man's expression darken further and a black mist began swelling around him. Fear clutched her heart, but she was too stuborn, too brave to let that matter. "And he has something you don't have!"

"And what is that?"

"LOVE!" Kagome yelled, tears in her eyes. "Inuyasha can feel genuine emotions! Something I doubt you've ever felt in whatever life it is you've lived!"

The man snorted, looking down at her. "Don't be rediculous. His emotions are no more real than any other demon's. When demons begin to feel things, we take care of them rather quickly. The hanyou's obsession with that undead witch Kikyou..." A soft chuckle. "Yes, obsession, not love, because shortly after you fell into the hellmouth, he admitted to himself, and told her that he didn't love her."

Kagome's eyes widened.

"The truth is, the twenty seven days of the month when he's a half-demon, he doesn't feel any true emotions, only that one day when he's human. And even then he doesn't have a soul."

"Say what you want..." Kagome said evenly, turning her back to him. "I don't care what you say, you don't know him."

"Neither do you." There was a long pause. "Now how should I punish you for meddling in my plans to take over the human realm?"

She snorted. "Listening to your rediculous statments is punishment enough." She mumbled. She could tell that her powers wouldn't save her now, she could vuagely remember them being sapped when she'd first fallen, her powers sealing the hellmouth, saving Inuyasha.

"I think having to watch your love get drug to hell with your previous incarnation will be a suitable punishment. I think watching it for the rest of eternity would be nice."

"Oh, leave the poor girl alone." Came a deep, booming voice that Kagome couldn't help but think sounded vuagely familiar.

She turned, seeing a white-haired demon walk into the light. He had bright golden eyes, and a purple slash on either side of his face. Her jaw dropped. 'Inuyasha's dad?'

The man smiled a bit at her, then his eyes returned to the other demon. "You're not the one to pass judgement on her. Emma-o is. Now leave the poor thing to rest. She had a rough journey."

"You're too soft, Inutaisho!"

"You're too rotten, Kazumi." He quipped back, bringing a blanket from behind himself and draping it over the girl's shoulders.

Kagome looked at him in shock and then lowered her eyes, wondering how long he'd been standing there, listening to her verbally defending his son. Slowly, her eyes returned to the demon, Kazumi, who had an angry look on his face.

"She's just a human, you fool. Who cares what happens to her?" The dark haired demon snarled, glaring at her.

"I realize you would have prefered spending eternity damming my hanyou son, but don't take it out on her." He glanced towards her and almost grinned at the look on her face.

"Emma-o will hear about this!" Kazumi snapped, walking towards Inutaishou and giving him a good hard shove. Then, he caught Kagome's wrist and slapped her across the face with his good hand. "And she will serve penance for disrupting my plans." With those words, he released her and stormed off.

Kagome looked at the great demon in shock. "Why'd you just let him shove you like that!" She asked. She rubbed her sore cheek, glaring at the demon's back. "And why the hell did he slap me? That's such a...a GIRL thing!"

Inutaishou snorted. "Well, Kazumi has always been...what is the phrase...a little on the limp wristed side." He dusted his armor off, glancing towards Kagome. "So you love my son?"

"Y-yes..." Kagome blushed, looking at the ground.

"Good, I'll put in a few good words at your trial."

She opened her mouth to object. He hushed her.

"It's the least I could do. After all, you are the first person besides his mother to accept him without question. Even that Kikyou woman...damn I'm glad he dropped her." He shook his head.

Kagome stared up at him. "He...what?"

"Dropped her. Dumped her, broke up, ect. Told her off good, too. His mother would have been proud." The demon snorted a bit at the peculiar look on her face. "What?"

She blinked forcefully. "I'm sorry, I just always thought that you'd be a bit more like...well, Sesshoumaru. You know, kind of stiff, and unbending...and emotionless. Inuyasha is way more like you than Sesshoumaru..."

He snorted. "Good. That means the kid has spirit. Sesshoumaru get's his temperment from his mother. She was a stick in the mud, too." He shook his head. "Always insisted on that ONE position..." He sighed shrugging.

Kagome turned bright red, realizing what he was talking about. She quickly changed the subject. "Inuyasha and the others...are they alright?"

Inutaisho chuckled. "I imagine they're fine. Inuyasha ran off a short time after it happened, and I suspect that he's on his way to reunite with his brother. I just wish he wouldn't request the assistance of that filthy wolf." He shuddered. "Wolves...disgusting creatures. They don't bathe, you know." He pointed out.

Kagome stared at him like he was crazy. 'Looks like Inuyasha came by it honest...' She mentally quipped, reminding herself to tell Inuyasha about this conversation when she next saw him.

"Ah, look at the time, I suppose I should go meet with the lord and master for a while." He almost grinned. "I'll return with the news of your punishment. I'll try to get him to be lenient."

She watched him walk off and blinked. "Um...thank you." She said quickly, relief to have a friendly face in a place as dark and cold as hell seemed to be.

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"I can't fucking believe I'm asking my stupid, obnoxious jerk of a brother for help." Inuyasha complained, sniffing the air, trying to get a wiff of his brothers distinctive scent. He growled under his breath. Yeah, the creep had been there recently. "Fucking shit I do for that girl..." He grumbled, catching the subtle odor.

Sesshoumaru sniffed the air delicately and frowned. 'Inuyasha is headed this way...' He paused, looking over his shoulder, not surprised when the hanyou appeared at the treeline. "Inuyasha." He said simply, putting himself between the hanyou and Rin, who would be a target if Inuyasha went berserk, as was often the situation with this unpredictable brat.

Inuyasha stared at his brother for a long time, seeing the only remaining hand resting on the sword on his hip. "You don't need to pull out your sword, Sesshoumaru." He said evenly. "I ain't here to fight."

"Are not." Sesshoumaru quipped, correcting the hanyou's poor grammar. "The hellmouth is closed, and yet you live?" He arched a fine eyebrow.

Inuyasha's face twitched. "Kagome." He said simply. No need to go to the trouble of describing the events that had led up to her death. His mouth twitched a bit. "I'm going after Naraku." He took a deep breath. "But I think I'm going to need your help." He said honestly, looking his brother dead in the face.

An eyebrow rose in distinct intrest. "You are requesting the help of this Sesshoumaru?" He asked, completely deadpan.

Jaken's face darkened. "Why would the great Sesshoumaru-sama help a worthless hanyou like you!" He gasped in shock when both brother's shot him death glares.

"Because if I successfully assemble the jewel and kill Naraku, I'll give him Tetsusaiga." Inuyasha said evenly, glaring at the toad. He saw the intrest return to his brother's face and half-grinned. "Is it a deal?"

"No."

He stared at the demon in shock. "WHAT!"

"I have no desire to hold father's sword. I have made it this far without it." Sesshoumaru deadpanned, his face completely serious.

"Then why the hell did you keep trying to kill me for it!"

"I didn't think a weakling should be aloud to wield one of my father's swords."

"OUR father!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed and his hand went to his sword. "I didn't ask for father to mate with a disgusting human..." He spat.

Fury grabbed Inuyasha. "Like you're one to talk! You fucking adopted one!" He yelled, pointing at Rin. "You've got dad's blood running through your veins too, you overgrown peacock! I don't care how fucking emotionless you are on the outside, you care about that little girl!"

Sesshoumaru snarled, annoyed that he was caught in his own lie. "Don't be rediculous!" He roared, lunging forwards and slamming his fist into the hanyou's face.

Inuyasha took the blow and stood up, his face furious. "Humans make us feel things. I know it's not comfortable to feel. I never wanted to. It was much easier to be angry, and to pretend the softer emotions didn't exist." He took a deep breath, wiping the blood from his lip. He glared at the older demon and turned, beginning to walk away. "Keh. Forget it, I'll kill Naraku myself."

Sesshoumaru watched his brother walk away and his eyes narrowed. "Jaken." He glanced from the pint-sized demon to the young girl.

"Is Sesshoumaru-sama going to fight?" Rin asked, bright-eyed.

"It will be too dangerous for children." He said evenly, resting a hand on her head. "Do not follow this Sesshoumaru."

Rin nodded, her eyes wide and trusting. "Okay, Sesshoumaru-sama!" She said cheerfully.

Without another word, Sesshoumaru followed after his brother.

"I thought you weren't going to help." Inuyasha snorted at his brother. Maybe the stupid jerk had understood what he was saying, after all.

"I'm not. I'm merely going to watch you make a fool of yourself."

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"She interfered with destiny! She butted in on FATE! It was supposed to be that supid hanyou!" Kazumi said, his face full of angry fire. He and Inutaisho stood in the middle of a round table. The center was cut out and the hole they stood in was bathed with light. In the darkness, he knew sat Emma-o and his son, who was learning the ropes for when Emma-o returned to the mortal realm.

There was a long, drawn out silence before Emma-o spoke. "Inutaisho...I understand you intend to speak for the girl?"

The demon nodded. "I realize that she did infact, interfere with my son's destiny. But things such as Fate are fluid. She had seen what would happen, and gave her life to save his. She loves him."

Another long silence. "I see..." A pause. "I seem to have no record of this soul being reborn yet, so how is it returns?"

Kazumi stuttered. "N-no one is sure, sir. She wasn't supposed to be reborn for five hundred years..."

"Inutaisho...would I be correct in assuming that in five hundred years the hanyou will be joining us?"

A small secretive smile. "I don't begin to understand the inner workings of my son's mind..."

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Sesshoumaru covered his nose delicately. "Why...pray-tell...do I smell wolves?"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and he sighed. "Look, this guy is reasonably strong. He's not the weakest demon I've met. He can't beat me, but he should be some help, filthy wolf or not." He grumbled. "Trust me, I'd rather not have his help, but I'm not going to drag my friends into this fight."

"So instead, you drag in your brother and a mangy wolf?"

"Hey! Who the fuck you calling mangy, pretty boy!"

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru looked up, seeing Kouga standing on the cliff, his pack with him. He grinned cockily, jumping down and punching into the ground where the two brothers had stood for only moments before. He straightened, grinning at Inuyasha. "I see you finally came back to finish that fight. No time like the present." He sprang forward, twisting his body into a mid-air kick.

Inuyasha snarled, nimbly dodging. "Look, Kouga!" He grunted, slamming his fist into the back of the wolf's head. "This isn't the time..." He grabbed him by the ponytail and threw him against a large rock. "For this same old discussion!" He growled, standing ready if the idiot wolf should continue attacking.

Kouga saw the look on the demon's face and realized that for once, he was completely dead serious. He paused his attack. "What happened?" He asked evenly. Normally Inuyasha would just fight him with the usual reckless abandon. He searched the area and lifted his nose. "Where's Kagome?"

The hanyou tightened his hands into fists. "She closed the hellmouth." He said emotionlessly. If he showed emotion now, he'd lose it. He'd cry again. Just saying it brought the taste of bile fill his throat, and he felt the urge to vomit.

Kouga's eyes widened. He had known the hanyou loved her too, yet, could only imagine what he was going through right now. After all, the two had been friends long before he'd ever known them. He looked away, his eyes saddening. "Is that all?"

"I'm going after Naraku."

The wolf's eyes lifted to the hanyou's quickly. "What's the point?"

"I'm going to finish the jewel. I don't have alot of time. Are you coming or not!"

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_AN: Another chapter gone. Sorry about the wait. Hope it was worth it. I'm not sure about the story art for this page, but if you'd like to see the story art I've done so far, go to http/demonsaya. I've got a few works in progress, and one completed picture. The completed one is called 'Arigatou...' Thanks for all the reviews and stuff! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, this one took so long because I pulled it apart midway and completely rewrote it._


	5. 4

The Prophecy

By: Demonsaya

**4**

The wait felt like days, but it was impossible to measure, being in the pitch blackness of hell. She closed her eyes, leaning back against the wall. The blanket around her was rather itchy, but she didn't mind. It kept her covered, and she was growing warm in it's embrace.

Her eyes had become partially adjusted to the light, but she still couldn't see more than a few feet around her. She glanced around what she could and sighed. She was lonely. Even Kazumi's company was better than none. She snorted, then forced herself to use her imagination. Easier than for some people her age, as she loved to day dream about her favorite hanyou.

She imagined them sitting on a grassy field, her head on his shoulder, his hand lightly at her waist. She smelled the fresh earthy scent that always clung to him. Like freshly cut grass and the scent of pine...she remembered, smiling faintly. His haori was soft, a little worn. A tiny, happy sigh escaped her. She imagined his breath gently stirring her hair as he looked at her with a distinct fondness. And for a moment, at least, she was connected to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha..." She whispered, smiling.

"What the hell are you so happy about, stupid bitch!" The intrusion was unwelcome.

Kagome's eyes snapped open and she caught the faint outline of Kazumi. Her eyes searched the darkness for the more gentle of the two demons, but she couldn't see him. "Does that mean it's over?" She asked idly, wishing he hadn't intruded upon her brief fantasy.

"Emma-o wanted to speak to that fucking dog alone." Kazumi scoffed. He dropped to the ground, glaring at the girl. "I should have known he'd speak for you. Fucking moron...mating with a human and creating something as disgusting as a half-breed..." He sneered at her. "I guess it's a good thing you died too, or you might have bore even more wretchedly diluted creatures."

Kagome snorted. "Shut the hell up, you creep." She said, looking away. She tried to summon the memory of Inuyasha again, to reestablish the connection even briefly. Evidently, she wasn't going to be aloud to.

"Kagome."

She looked up, seeing Inutaisho approaching. It was far easier to see him than his evil counter part, him being so fair skinned, and pale haired. "Inutaisho-san..." She said, straightening. "So, what's the verdict?" She tried to smile, but found she couldn't.

"He was lenient. You will hold the hellmouth closed with your powers for the next five hundred years. When it opens again...well...I have a hunch you will be allowed to home."

"WHAT!" Kazumi shouted in anger. "What the fuck are you talking about! That's IT? No eternal damnation! No pain or suffering!"

Kagome stared at the demon in shock. "I can go home?"

Inutaisho half-grinned. "Kazumi, you are excused." He said, his voice amazingly even. He heard the other demon snort and glared at him. "I said GO." He said firmly.

Kazuumi looked at the much stronger demon for a long moment, then he grudgingly got to his feet and with a sneer aimed at Kagome, left the two alone.

"Inuyasha is coming to get you. Him being...well...alive and all...he can't enter hell until the hellmouth opens again." He said evenly. He saw the joy on the girls face, but then it vanished in an instant.

"But then wont he just be stuck here?" She asked, confused. "What is he doing?"

"I'd say right about now he's heading towards Naraku's fort." Inutaishou said evenly, dropping to a knee and lowering his voice. "I could be drastically mistaken, but I think he's about to do something amazingly selfless."

Her eyes widened. "The shikon no tama!" She whispered. "But...Naraku is too strong!"

"So little faith in the man you love?"

She blushed. "I believe him, but I'm also realistic. He doesn't fight as well when he's not trying to protect me."

"But that's just the point. He IS trying to protect you. That's why he's going after it now. And besides, he may be incredibly reckless, but he is my son." He gave a cocky grin and Kagome thought he looked a LOT like Inuyasha right there.

"What do you think he'll do when he gets it?" She asked.

"You ask too many questions." He smiled a bit, standing up and dusting himself off. "Come along."

"Were are we going?"

"To the hellmouth."

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Inuyasha took a steadying breath. 'I swear to god, I'm just going to kill them both.' He shot a look of death over his shoulder at his brother and Kouga, who were in the middle of a manner of arguement.

"Look, it rains, right! That cleans us just fine!" Kouga snapped, glaring at the demon who was looking at him with distinct disdain. "Besides, at least I'm not just a fucking lap dog..."

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow. "I'm not a lap dog." He said, sniffing delicately. "I'm a great demon." He glared at the demon.

"Keh. How fucking lame. I don't see what's so fucking great about you. I could probably take you down with my eyes closed."

"Oh, do tell."

Inuyasha stopped and the two demons ran directly into him. "Look, if you two don't fucking shut up, I'll kill you both myself." Inuyasha exhaled the words, then turned, glaring at both of them. "I realize neither of you really care about Naraku, but keep in mind, once he's gone, I'm out of both of your hair for good." He took a deep breath. "So just fucking grow up and stop acting like freaking kids!"

Both demons looked like they were going to attack him next, but they seemed to think about it and backed up. They had both faced off against Inuyasha on several occasions, and at the moment, Inuyasha had won the vast majority. Besides, if it meant that Inuyasha was gone for good, then it was worth being civil.

"Keh..." Inuyasha snorted, turning and walking back up the mountain. He could see Naraku's palace from where they stood and knew it would only be about an hour before they reached it. "Not too much further..." He said softly. 'I'll be there as soon as I can, Kagome...'

Kouga caught up with Inuyasha and glared at him. "Oi, do you think Kagome's okay? How do you think they punished her?"

"I don't fucking know..."

'Inuyasha...'

The half-demon froze. Was that...? He could have sworn he heard her. Her soft sweet voice was like music. Yet, he knew that was impossible. Kagome was in hell. There was no way he could hear her.

"Oi, teme, what the hell is your problem all of a sudden." Kouga snapped. The demon had stopped so suddenly Sesshoumaru had nearly run into him once again.

"I thought I heard...but that's impossible..." He shook his head and sniffed the air. There it was! It was faint, barely noticable, but her scent was definately on the wind. It was coming from the bone gobbling well. "Shit...there's not much time..." He began to sprint towards the castle.

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes dramatically. "That stupid brat better have a plan." He said darkly following him.

"HEY! WAIT FOR ME YOU JERKS!" Kouga shouted, chasing after them.

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"What is this?" Kagome asked, staring at the small demon babe laying on the ground. It was crying loudly, and just by looking at it, she suspected that it was no ordinary demon.

"That is the hellmouth."

She stared at the baby, then the demon. "Please tell me you're joking." She said evenly. She reached down and scooped up the baby. It stopped crying almost immediately. She saw it open it's eyes and she gasped, almost dropping him. Those eyes were dark. Evil. She shuddered faintly.

"I'm afraid I'm not. It looks different for everyone. It senses what the person cares about and will take form." He looked at it, frowning. "Usually, it's either a child, or a person's lover." His eyes narrowed into a glare. "For me it is Izayoi. It does this because if you care for something, you are more likely to comfort it. Eventually, it get's bored, and it opens, waiting for a new soul to comfort it. The hellmouth is a fickle thing."

Kagome looked up at Inutaisho. "It's a child...An infant...but it's eyes are cold." She said softly, her face sad. "Every baby I've ever seen looked so innocent...this one..."

"Ah, yes, a child...that means you've got motherly instincts. Inuyasha chose well..." He smiled.

"Oh...oh, no..." Kagome blushed faintly. "I don't know what you're talking about...I'm just a friend to him. It's a one-sided love."

"Little girl..." He knelt beside her, resting a hand upon her head. "Sometimes...you have to look at a beings actions, rather than try to listen to their words. Sesshoumaru is an excellent case-point. He doesn't speak much, but his actions show his power, his strength. Inuyasha is not dissimilar. You two argue constantly, but you both love each other."

Kagome felt tears fill her eyes. "B-but...how do you know all this?"

"You don't think I ever really stopped watching over Izayoi and Inuyasha? I had nearly given up on Sesshoumaru before that girl Rin came along." He shook his head. "Just because Inuyasha doesn't say it, doesn't make it any less true. And I'm sure he's regretted the tardiness of his decision a great deal at the moment."

Kagome nodded. "Thank you. Hearing that...I think I can wait for him for five hundred years."

"Well..." He stood up and shot her a careless grin. "If you ever decide you can't I'd be willing."

Her face turned bright red. "N-nani!"

He just laughed, walking away.

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Inuyasha was out of breath when he reached the entrance to Naraku's castle. He paused, and after the other's caught up with him, he punched it, causing it to explode inwards, due to everyone hitting it at exactly the same time. He walked in, finding Naraku waiting.

"I see the hanyou has enlisted the help of a pitiful wolf, and a weak great demon..." Naraku mocked, smiling wickedly. "Do you really think that you can defeat me?"

Inuyasha glared at him. "I don't think I can. I think I will." He said, pulling Tetsusaiga out and feeling it transform the second his hand touched it. 'Kagome...just wait a bit...I'm on my way...'

"Bold words from someone who has yet to lay a claw on me..."

"That's because you cheat." Inuyasha snarled, lunging forward, attacking all out for the first time. He abandoned his human train of thought and embraced a far more 'Sesshoumaru' line of thinking. KILL.

Sesshoumaru and Kouga joined in the attack less than a moment later. Each attack was met with wild vigor on Naraku's part, who was laughing at their 'feeble' attempt. Inuyasha was thrown back and slammed against the wall with such force that under normal circumstances, he probably would have been knocked out. Instead, he planted his feet against it and pushed off as hard as he could, bringing his sword up and bringing it down with as much force as possible.

Naraku's eyes widened. Something was driving this hanyou to fight. What it was, he couldn't begin to imagine. The girl wasn't there, and he suspected the hellmouth might have something to do with that. His face darkened. He had to get rid of the hanyou quickly, or else he would never obtain his destiny.

He dropped the shield and managed to snatch away Sesshoumaru's Toukijin, and brought it towards Inuyasha's neck.

Inuyasha stared in shock as blood splattered across his face.

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500 years later...

Kagome felt sweat bead and fall down her brow. It would happen soon. Very soon. She could tell. Inutaisho stood nearby, watching as she struggled to control the child in her arms. She had finally wrapped both of her arms around it, pinning it's arms and it's legs.

His face softened. Yes, Inuyasha had chosen very well. He had seen it during the five hundred years of the girls punishment. She was stong, loving, and held a strange trust for everything she came across, till it proved to her that it was untrustworthy.

Kagome closed her eyes. "More time...Inuyasha...just a little more time...please hurry..." She whispered. She closed her eyes tightly. She carefully rocked the baby, trying to keep it call for just a little while longer.

Yet, even as she struggled to control the child...she could feel hell shake, and knew that she couldn't keep the hellmouth closed for much longer.

It would open very...very soon.

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_AN: Another chapter gone, and not much happened in this one. I really wanted to make it longer, but I'm bad at writing fight scenes. Fortunately, I don't need to rewrite this one. I hate it when I have to do that..._


	6. 5

_AN: Blink blink Holy crap. Overnight my inbox exploded...the number of reviews on this story doubled! I was so shocked! I was even more shocked when I went into my stats and saw the rest of the info. WAI! I'm so happy! So, a very special thanks to: AnimePunk13, Blackfoxdemon, blood of the shadows, DarkMage6 (As usual .-), SlummyRedDragon, Wind of the Shadows, dragon's kitty, joyfulsoul, Kamira, Katty-kat, miko of fire and ice, and nathan j. Thanks to death! Much obliged to provide you all with yet another chapter._

The Prophecy

By: Demonsaya

**5**

Inuyasha stared in shock as blood splattered across his face.

The sword hadn't even touched him, due to the demon that had, for lack of a better word, gotten in the way.

Naraku snorted, ripping the sword from Kouga's shoulder.

Kouga staggered back, clutching his wounded shoulder as blood dripped down it. He watched Naraku as the demon tossed away the sword and then glanced at Inuyasha. "Get your act together, dog turd!" He snapped. "Attack the piece of shit!" He dug his feet into the ground and lunged at Naraku, claws at the ready.

Inuyasha brought Tetsusaiga down as hard as he could, but Naraku had put his shield up again, which deflected the blow. "SHIT!" He shouted, then he caught Sesshoumaru's eye. "Oi, Sesshoumaru...remember Sounga..."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened imperceptibly and darted to Tenseiga. He scooped up Toukijin and put it at his side, reaching for his father's other sword instead.

Inuyasha grinned, realizing his brother had taken the hint. He concentrated for a moment and his sword turned red and he lifted it. "Kouga, if you don't want to be pulped, get the hell out of the way!" He didn't have long to try this idea. "BAKURYUHA!" He shouted. Rather than the normal gold color it would turn it turned bright red.

Sesshoumaru quickly drew his sword as well, sending his own attack towards the demon.

'This is it...' Inuyasha did a full turn and swung the sword again. "KONGOUSHOHA!" He cried, praying, hoping the attack would work.

Naraku reenforced his barier just in time for the first part of the attack to prevent hurting him. Unfortunately, the attack from the red Tetsusaiga had destroyed his barrier, leaving him wide open for Sesshoumaru's attack as well as Inuyasha's final one. He caught both full in his chest.

'So this is what death really feels like...' He thought, as his body began to dissolve.

Inuyasha sniffed the air. Was it possible? Dare he hope that the attack had worked?

Kouga coughed, putting a hand to his rapidly healing shoulder. "Did it hit?"

Sesshoumaru merely turned his back and began to leave the room.

The smoke cleared and Inuyasha stared at the jewel on the floor. He bent down, picking it up and he slowly replaced the last two shards.

Kouga looked at Inuyasha. "So, what are you gonna do now. How are you going to save her?"

Inuyasha looked down at the jewel, then at his rival. "I'm going to go to hell." He said evenly. He paused. "Why the hell did you protect me?" He asked evenly.

"Because, Kagome would cry if you died." He said, simply, walking towards the door.

Inuyasha stood there, looking down at the jewel in his hand for a long moment. Was he really willing to make the sacrifice for her?

The answer came startlingly easy. "Yeah." He said softly. His face twitched and he turned on his heal, walking out of the room.

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Inutaisho tilted his head to the side, pondering slightly. "I seem to have lost him." He said, a small smile playing on his face.

"Lost who?" Kagome glanced towards the person who was keeping her company.

"Inuyasha. His spirit has vanished." He gave the girl a meaningful look. "In the vicinity of the bone-gobbling well."

Kagome's eyes widened in shock. Slowly, tears filled her eyes. It would be a lonely five hundred years while she waited for her favorite hanyou to save her. She looked down at the hellmouth and sighed, tilting her face upwards. A sad smile touched her face and she turned towards Inutaisho. "You'll keep me company till he comes for me, right?"

"Of course." He agreed, smiling faintly.

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Sango and Miroku sat quietly on the field, waiting for Inuyasha to return from his personal mission. Neither of them had followed after him, knowing this was something he had to work out without them. The small fox was curled up on Sango's lap, and Kirara sat on Miroku's.

"Do you think he's okay?" Sango asked idly stroking the kit's hair.

Miroku looked down at his palm. "It's too soon to tell. I don't want to risk taking this thing off if Naraku might not be dead."

"Ne, Miroku-sama...I never realized it before, but Inuyasha must really love Kagome-chan alot. I always thought that he couldn't love her because he always insulted her and argued with her, but maybe he just didn't realize it yet." Sango mused, looking up at the sky. "I wonder if it's not a fruitless effort."

"Perhaps it is...but if I've learned anything while traveling with those two...it's that anything is possible." He reached over, and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side. "Like it's possible that maybe you wont hit me for that." He teased softly.

Sango blushed. "You're always so...forceful." She said, exasperated.

"I see you two got comfortable with each other."

Both blinked, and turned around, seeing Inuyasha standing about ten feet behind them. He was wearing a feral grin and looked none the worse for wear. "Inuyasha! Then that means Naraku is-"

"Naraku's gone. He's dead." He reached into his haori, displaying the completed Shikon no Tama. "Only one thing left to do..." He said, looking towards the two of them. "And that's go get Kagome back."

"But Inuyasha...If you go into the hellmouth...how will you get out again?" Sango asked, standing and dusting herself off. "Much less bring Kagome back?"

"Indeed, you should tell us what you're planning."

Inuyasha glanced between his two friends. "The thing will only take people with powers. Those powers...are used to keep the hellmouth closed. On my own, I probably couldn't. That's why I needed the jewel..." He said softly. "It's going to be my collateral."

They stared at him in shock. "What about...what about being a full demon?"

He shook his head. "Don't you guys get it? I can't just sit here and let Kagome be in hell for an eternity! Even if I can't leave...if they let Kagome out...then it's worth it." He said softly, tightening his hand into a fist. "I was the one that was supposed to die, not her." He replaced the jewel into his haori. "Besides...I'm not too big a loss. I don't have any more family. Well, besides Sesshoumaru. Kagome has a family. They'll miss her."

The pair glanced at each other and then back at the hanyou. "Inuyasha..."

"I can't just let her stay there. I'll save her. Don't worry." He gave a brief grin. "I mean, come on, how often do I do something reckless?" He saw the looks on their faces and snorted, taking their inability to speak to head toward the bone-gobbling well and Kagome's time. 'Just wait a little longer Kagome...I'm sorry it's taking me so long...'

If it came down to the choice of being a demon, and being with Kagome...then he'd rather be with Kagome.

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Kagome closed her eyes, pulling a memory of Inuyasha into her mind. She had quickly realized the one that calmed her the most when she was alone was the first time she saw him as a human, when they were sealed into the back room of the shrine. His head had sat in her lap and for the first time, Kagome felt genuinely close to the feral dog demon. That was when he'd said she smelled nice. It was the first nice thing he'd said to her.

She tilted her head back, wishing that it was him that she was holding, rather than the hellmouth. Yet she knew that only time would tell. Inutaisho had hinted that Inuyasha would be coming to her, but five hundred years. It was a long time. She reached out, feeling with her mind, wishing she could hear his voice for just a little while.

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Inuyasha stopped at the well, peering down into it's depths. Last time he'd come through here was the night of his dream. The dream Kagome had as well, he was certain. He grabbed the lip and jumped in, feeling the jerk in his stomach before his feet touched solid ground. He came running out of the well house and stopped abruptly. The land was dark, cracked. He lifted his nose and sniffed carefully. He could smell Kagome's family.

He turned, running to her house, slamming the door open.

"Kagome's not here, Inuyasha..." Her mother said feebly. He could tell by looking at her shielding her son that she was terrified. His eyes moved towards Grandpa, who was unconsious. The woman stood slowly. "Wait, wasn't she with you?"

"Yeah..." Inuyasha agreed. "Before she decided to be an idiot and jump into the hellmouth. Has it been sealed yet here?"

They stared at him like he was crazy. "What did Kagome do!"

Inuyasha didn't have time for this. He closed his eyes, summoning his patience. "Look, the hellmouth is already a good way open if the look of the earth is any indication. If you guys ever want to see your daughter again, take me to it."

"I don't know what you're talking about! Hellmouth!"

Inuyasha looked at the kid. "Where are the quakes coming from?" He asked evenly.

"The park." He said. He looked up at his hero and suddenly realized what he was talking about. "Wait, Kagome's in HELL!" He shouted. "You were supposed to PROTECT HER!"

Inuyasha grabbed the boy's fist. "Look, Kagome made a decision. I couldn't just walk into hell and ask for her back. I had to wait for the hellmouth to open again, so that I could go in to retrieve her. I have collateral to get her back. Don't worry, I'm going to save her."

Souta looked at him, then nodded. "Then I'll take you there." He said, walking towards the door.

"Souta! NO! It's too dangerous!" His mother cried.

"Someone has to show him so he can save Kagome!" He shouted, his face flushed with anger. He glanced towards the demon. "Come on, let's go."

Inuyasha put a reassuring hand on the woman's shoulder and followed the boy out of the house.

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_AN: Whew. I really wanted to make that one longer. Please stay tuned, I'll hopefully have another chapter up soon..._


	7. 6

The Prophecy

By: Demonsaya

**6**

She couldn't do it anymore...

Kagome took a shuddering breath and then wrenched herself away from the child. It's mouth open and it began to scream. She was so weak. She was so tired..."Inuyasha..." She whispered, feeling her consciousness slip away from her.

Red eyes watched the girl collapse. Kazumi stepped from the shadows, his eyes narrowed in contempt. "Emma-o may have found it within himself to allow you to live...but I'll see to it that you still suffer..."

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The ground shook violently and Inuyasha reached out, steadying Kagome's brother. "Souta, you okay?" He asked, glancing down at the boy. Kagome would never forgive him if her little brother got hurt.

"How did Kagome get pulled into hell?" Souta let the older boy steady him and glanced towards his hero. "You can save her, right?"

"I don't have time-"

"I want to know what happened." Souta said, walking beside Inuyasha across the dry earth. The clouds were dark, like just before a bad storm. "I want to know why Kagome-nee-chan's in hell." He looked up at the hanyou, his face serious.

Inuyasha looked at the ground. The wound in his chest was still very raw. "Kagome can tell you when she gets back." He said evenly. He could see the park from where they were and he knew he had to hurry.

"I deserve to know what happened." The boy snapped.

A deep breath. "Kagome went into the hellmouth. Isn't that enough!" Inuyasha couldn't take remembering. He needed to go find her. He needed to jump into the hellmouth and find her, if he didn't he was going to lose it. "Look, Souta, it's only been about a week for me, but for Kagome, it's been five hundred years, okay! She's waited long enough, right!"

Souta frowned. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to bring her back." Inuyasha said, walking into the park, towards the hellmouth. "Stay back, kid. If there's a quake, you could fall in." There were people gathered around the gaping whole, staring into it, their eyes wide with fear. Among them, Inuyasha identified Kagome's friend, and that boy 'Hojo'. He glanced back at Souta and gave a wry grin. "Don't look so worried, kid, I'll bring her back." He said.

Then, in front of everybody, he let himself fall forward into the hellmouth.

It didn't hurt as bad as he thought it would. It was distressingly similar to the new moon, when he'd become human. The hellmouth sapped his powers, and he knew that it would stay sealed for another hundred years, at least. He watched as blackness rapidly approached him and he adjusted himself so the fall wouldn't hurt him. He was human now and if he wasn't careful...then-

He hit the ground surprisingly softly. He turned around, his nose involuntarily twitching, trying to sniff out Kagome, when he realized that his demon senses were gone. "Kagome!" Inuyasha whispered, tense.

"I see you finally made it."

The voice caused him to slip into a defensive posture. "Who's there! Where's Kagome!"

"So many questions, Inuyasha..."

That voice sounded SO familiar. Well, he was five hundred years in the future, so for all he knew, it was Sesshoumaru. As he watched, the figure stepped into the light and Inuyasha's legs almost gave out. "D-dad..." He stared at the demon who stood there with a rather odd smirk on his face. "You're here...but..."

"I think you're overlooking something more important." He smiled. "Your mate."

Inuyasha turned purple. "She's not my mate! She's just-" Inuyasha saw the smile on the man's face widen. "Me and Kagome haven't even talked about..." He turned away from the knowing smile, hiding the dark blush covering his cheeks.

Inutaishou chuckled. "Inuyasha...how on earth are you going to mate with the girl if you can't even admit that you love her?" He wondered idly. "Speaking of whom..." He gestured for his son to follow him. "I'll bring you to where she should be." 'Provided that bastard Kazumi didn't...no, even Kazumi knows better than to go against Emma-o...'

He hoped.

Inuyasha glanced towards his dad. "Is...is she okay?" His voice broke just a bit. He fought the tears that had been itching to fall since he'd obtained the jewel. He was going to get her back? Just like that? Wasn't he supposed to be tried and punished? Wouldn't they make him stay in her place?

Inutaisho glanced towards him. "Relax, Inuyasha. She's fine."

"What about..."

"Look," The great demon was getting impatient. "I took care of all that five hundred years ago. I kept an eye on her for you." 'Geeze, was I this unconfident about Izayoi?' He wondered idly. "It would appear Kagome-san was not exagerating about your lack of confidence..." He shook his head. "I spoke for Kagome at her trial."

"What about...what about my trial?"

"You're not having one. I spoke on your behalf at her trial as well. I suppose you brought it?" He glanced pointedly at his son. "The Shikon no Tama?"

Inuyasha was startled by this. "How did you..."

"Did you really think I wasn't watching over you and my mate?" He asked evenly. "Why do you think your mother lived to be fifty?"

"Then why did she die then! I was just a kid!"

"Don't yell at me, pup." Inutaisho glared at the boy. "I was dead, and she wasn't your mate. I couldn't do anything to prevent a death from old age!" His hand clenched into a fist. "If I'd sealed that stupid dragon to begin with...rather than fucking around for so long..."

"You mean Ryokotsusei?" Inuyasha arched an eyebrow. This was wierd. Here he was, talking to a person he'd only seen once before and knew almost less than shit about, but his dad knew way more about him...Then again, wierd defined his life since Kagome came to his world.

"No shit, I mean Ryokotsusei!" The great demon snapped.

Inuyasha stared at him, then a chuckle escaped him. "I kinda figured you'd be more like Sesshoumaru..." He said with a wry grin.

"Funny..." Inutaisho glanced towards his son, continuing to walk through the darkness. "Your mate said the same thing..." He saw his son turn dark red once again at the word and rolled his eyes. "Speaking of whom...Kagome-san?" His eyes narrowed. "SHIT!"

Inuyasha jumped. "What is it?"

"Fucking Kazumi..." He snarled. "Runt is more stupid than I thought. Disobeying Emma-o's orders...He's going to be sent to the hell of being skinned alive for this one..." He glanced towards his son, seeing the worried look on his face. "I guess we better go save your mate." He mused, tilting his head to the side.

"Damn right we need to go find her!" Inuyasha snapped. "Where would that fucker be taking her?"

"The pit of hell, of course..." Inutaisho grabbed his son by the collar. "We'll move faster if you're not stumbling through the darkness here." He teased, before breaking into a dead sprint.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. He was FAST! Faster than Inuyasha was! Inuyasha glared up at his father's face and grudgingly admitted that his father really was the legend that everyone always made him out to be. The jerk.

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Kazumi looked into the pit of hell, and expression of disdain upon his face. Only the most despicable beings were cast down into this part of hell. For him, that meant hanyou's and their mates as well. He shook the girl he'd dropped so carelessly on the ground. "Wake up, dumb bitch. It's time to fucking get punished..." That last part was said much more quietly.

Kagome's eyes fluttered open and she saw Kazumi staring down at her, his face a mask of sheer loathing. Her face flushed and she tried to scoot back away from him. She heard bits of rock fall down a cliff wall and glanced behind herself in fear. 'NO!' This wasn't how it was supposed to end! Inuyasha was coming to save her! Inutaisho had left to meet him! Where was he! Tears filled her eyes and she looked up at the other demon in fear.

"Die, bitch." His foot sent her top half off the pit.

She let out a shriek, clinging to the cliff wall, digging her fingers in as she felt the boot connect with her ankle, which caused her to whimper softly in pain. She HAD to hold on! Inuyasha would be there soon! The boot began to grind into her fingers and she cried out. "INUYASHA!"

"He's not here, stupid bitch!"

"That's where you're wrong!"

Kazumi turned in shock to see a human boy barrelling down on him. Without warning, pain exploded in his face and he staggered away from the cliff.

Her hand was starting to slip! "Inuyasha!" She cried, then let out a brief scream when she started to fall. It barely had time to leave her lips, because a strong hand wrapped around hers and she found herself looking up into frightened violet eyes. "Inuyasha...? You're...?"

He gave her a grin, but it was weak, tired. "Yeah, I am, huh..." Then, a shadow of the old Inuyasha passed over his lips. "Guess you can't play with my ears anymore, huh..."

Her hands were slick with sweat and she could see Inuyasha was having trouble holding on. She looked up at him, terrified they'd both fall and she would have let go of his hand, but his other came down, grabbing her other hand.

"Don't give up..." He whispered down to her. "I lost you once, I'm not going to lose you again..." He searched her eyes and saw the five hundred years of lonliness shining in her eyes. "Kagome, don't you get it?" He bit his lip hard, struggling to pull her up. "I didn't just come down here to have you slip through my fingers again..." He gave a wry grin. "So don't give up...I didn't give up on you."

Her eyes widened and tears fell down her face. "Inuyasha..." She found a purchase in the rock and forced her toes into it. "I found a place to rest..." She said. She smiled up at him. "I'll see if I can find some more..."

Relief filled him. She wasn't going to give up! She was coming back to him! He shook from the raw emotion and felt her move up the wall just a little bit. He could hear the voices of his father and the demon who had tried to destroy Kagome and he knew he had to hurry. "Kagome..." He caught her bicep, and pulled up as hard as he could. "Put your arms around me..." He whispered.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with trust and she wound her arms around his neck, bringing her face close to his. She felt his ragged breath fanning across her face and closed her eyes, burying her face into his neck as he finished pulling her up the cliff. Then, they stared at each other for a long moment. She blushed under his scrutiny, as she was still naked.

He saw her blush and blushed as well, quickly removing his fire rat cloak and wrapping it around her, then he turned towards the demon who had taken her. Slowly, he stood, but he felt a hand reach out and grab his, and that stilled him. He turned to Kagome and helped her stand. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately on the lips. When he pulled away, there were tears dancing in her eyes. He turned towards the arguing demon's. "Dad...look after Kagome for a minute..." He said firmly.

Kagome watched the great demon cross the distance and put a hand against her back. He looked towards his son, nodding. "Go ahead, Inuyasha."

Kagome opened her mouth to object, but Inutaisho shook his head.

"This is something he needs to do."

Helplessly, she watched the boy she loved stalk towards the demon. The next words out of the boy's mouth caused her eyes to widen.

"You tried to hurt her..." He said softly. His face was a mask of fury now that his eyes no longer rested on Kagome. "You tried to hurt my mate..." He began to circle the demon, his posture agressive.

"What are you going to do about it, HUMAN." The demon scoffed. He kept his front to the human boy, knowing now the depth of his mistake. A demon who tried to kill the mate of another was often put through a world of hurt. "What could your weak mortal body do to me!"

Inuyasha growled deep in his chest. Without a word, he spun, aiming a well-placed, powerful kick to the demon's chest.

Kagome gasped in shock. She had never seen Inuyasha look so focused before. She saw the demon catch his foot and would have run towards him, but Inutaisho's hand on her shoulder prevented that. "Inuyasha!" She cried.

He stared at the demon and used the leverage to bring his other foot up to the side of the demon's face.

Kazumi's eyes flew wide at the sudden feeling of a bare foot hitting him with far more force than the mortal boy should have been able to muster. 'What...is this...?' He reached up, touching something trickling down the side of his mouth. He looked down at it and saw blood. His eyes widened. It was his own blood!

"I have enough strength for this..." Inuyasha said, his chest heaving with anger. He saw the demon come towards him to attack him, but it was a careless attack and easy to dodge. He kicked him again in the chest, this time connecting. A moment later, a clawed hand punched him in the face and he winced, staggering back a bit. A small grin turned up the corners of his mouth. "Good...you're actually going to try to fight back...that should make things more interesting..."

Kazumi was livid. Here this human boy was insulting him. He didn't have much time to dwell on it, as Inuyasha lunged at him, catching him around the waist, spilling him to the ground, where a fist began to repeatedly slam into his face.

"Don't! Ever! Touch! My! Kagome! AGAIN!" He hissed between punches. He stared down at the demon, meeting his eyes intentionally. He gave him a death glare that caused the demon to pale and swallow hard. Without another word, he drug Kazumi to his feet.

"That's quite enough..."

Everyone in the area froze, and all the eyes shot towards the demon who was approaching.

"Emma-o-sama..." Inutaisho dropped to a knee and as Kagome watched, Inuyasha and Kazumi were quick to follow suit.

She looked at the demon who had interrupted the fight and saw that he wasn't big, or scarry looking as he was always portrayed in mythology. In fact, he was very beautiful, much like Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho were beautiful. But it was deffinately a man, if it even had a sex.

He looked from Inuyasha to the girl, then to Kazumi, and finally, his eyes moved back to Inutaisho. "Inutaisho...what has happened here?" His gaze moved between them and settled on Kagome.

"Kazumi attempted to destroy Kagome against your orders, Emma-o-sama." Inutaisho shot Kazumi a dirty look.

Emma-o looked towards Kazumi. "Is this so?"

Kazumi slowly nodded. "She does not deserve to live when so many other, better beings-

"Silence."

Kagome blinked. The demon, or god, as it were, called Emma-o had a soft, strangely musical voice. His delicate features became more visible as he stepped from the darkness.

"I have suspected that you would be more difficult to control...Kazumi..." The figure walked towards the demon who knelt before him and with a rough hand, grabbed his head, jerking his face up. "I did not, however think you were so out of control...that you would directly disobey me, demon..."

"I didn't, that is...I only thought..." Kazumi stuttered, trying to explain himself. He opened his mouth to try again, but he was silenced by a hand going through his mouth and coming out the back of his head.

Emma-o watched the demon fall and drew a cloth from his haori, wiping the gore from it carefully.

"Kowai..." Kagome whispered, wide-eyed.

"Inuyasha..." Emma-o looked down at the hanyou-turned-human. "Your father tells me that you intend to barter...for the girl..." Those eerily calm eyes moved back towards her.

Inuyasha nodded, reaching into his yukatta. "I bring you the Shikon no Tama...If you wish, I will remain in hell, but Kagome...she doesn't belong here." He heard Kagome's soft objection and turned to look at her. "Kagome, if it comes down to it, it's better if it's me down here than you." He looked at the ground. "As long as you're okay-"

"I have no use for this bauble..."

They looked back at Emma-o in shock. 'He wasn't going to free Kagome!' Inuyasha opened his mouth to object. "But-"

Emma-o looked the boy square in the eye. "Do you love her?"

Inuyasha turned bright red. "Y-yes." He stuttered. 'I wanted to tell her some place private, jerk!' He mentally shouted.

"Do you love him?"

Kagome found Emma-o's gaze upon her and her eyes widened. "Of course I do." She said evenly. She looked towards Inuyasha and saw him smiling at her a bit with a blush on his face. She smiled back and looked down shyly.

Emma-o looked at Inutaisho. "Take them out."

"WHAT!"

"Out of hell." He said evenly. "Inuyasha's power is more than enough to sustain the hellmouth for the next five hundred years, and if they wish to put that rediculous bauble to good use, they should use it to make sure he keeps that loud mouth of his shut..." He looked towards the human children. "Permanently."

Inuyasha stared at Emma-o and bowed formally in thanks. A moment later, a soft body threw itself at him and wrapped it's arms around his neck. He turned, looking down at Kagome, his eyes wide. He gathered her into a tight embrace, his heart pounding. It was over? Just like that? They were free?

Free...

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_AN: Hey! Don't just give up! There's still one more chapter! You have to find out what happens at the very end, right! Stay tuned! Epilogue is coming up next!_


	8. FINALE

The Prophecy

By: Demonsaya

**FINALE**

Inuyasha glanced towards his father, carrying Kagome on his back. "Isn't there an easier way to get there?" He asked, somewhat impatiently.

Inutaisho looked at the weary looking boy. A slow smile turned up the corners of his mouth. "Ah, I'm truly sorry, but there's only one way out, and that's..." He paused and turned towards the cliff wall. "This is where I get off. Walk straight through there..."

Inuyasha took a step forward, then paused, looking back at his father. "...Thank you." He said, shifting the sleeping girl on his back a bit. He paused for another moment. "Am I like this for good, now? He was a bit hopeful. At least this way, he could share Kagome's lifespan...

"You did something very special, Inuyasha, and I think the gods rewarded you well by allowing you to remain human. After all...your soul belongs to you now."

The young human's eyes widened and he glanced back at Kagome for a moment. Her eyes were closed in peaceful sleep. "Then I'm...really human? This isn't like the new moon?"

Inutaisho smiled a bit. "Your father is proud of you." He said, his eyes crinkling just a bit. "You have done your family great honor." He bowed to him a bit, then turned, leaving them at the exit.

Inuyasha took a deep breath. Slowly, he turned and walked towards the cliff wall. Surprisingly, it vanished the closer he got and when he passed through, he was standing inside the park. He looked around, and began walking towards where Souta was waiting. He smiled a bit when the boy ran up, throwing his arms around them. This action woke Kagome up, who smiled weakly at her brother. He seperated the boy from his exhausted sister and put the girl back where she belonged.

Kagome hugged Inuyasha's chest, her eyes already partway closed. "Arigatou..." She whispered, listening to the soft sound of his breathing.

"What for?" He asked, glancing back at her.

She smiled a bit. "For saving me...for loving me...Arigatou..."

He smiled, looking at the ground. 'No, Kagome...it's not me you should thank...It's whatever gods there are out there...that let me save you. It's my father, and Emma-o, who are giving me this chance to be by your side...Who gave me...' He felt her hand resting over his heart and smiled a bit. 'Arigatou...to whoever is looking out for us...'

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Inuyasha and Souta arrived at the shrine and Souta quickly ran to open the door for the now human boy. Inuyasha carried Kagome in, who was still fast asleep on his back. He heard her mother cry out in relief and the grandfather rushed forward.

He was reluctant to release her, but he did so, letting them embrace her tightly. He watched from where he stood. He watched them badger her for several minutes before putting himself between them and scooping Kagome into his arms once again. He carried her up to her room, telling them that she needed rest.

He entered the room and set the girl on her bed. He turned about to leave her there, when her hand grabbed his sleeve. He glanced back at her in shock.

"Don't go..." She whispered, her eyes pleading with him. She didn't want to be alone again. As long as he was with her...she would be okay.

He knelt by her bed. "I was just going to let the others know that you're safe, now..." He said softly, brushing her hair from her face. He felt her hand catch his and hold it against her face. A small smile turned up the corners of his mouth. "Kagome..." He whispered, and then, with one strong pull, he had her in his arms and he pressed his face into the hollow of her throat. He deeply inhaled her light scent and felt the pain of everything that had happened overwhelming him.

He began to cry.

Kagome felt his shoulders begin to shake and wrapped her arms around him, rocking him back and forth. Her eyes teared up and she buried her head into his hair. "It's okay, Inuyasha..." She whispered. "It's okay, I'm here..."

"You just let go..." He whispered, his face pained. "And then you were gone...you never even gave me a chance to tell you I loved you back..." He whispered, his voice thick from emotion. "It felt like someone ripped me apart...like they reached right into my chest and tore out my heart..." He whispered, desperately clinging to her, as though if he loosed his grip, she'd drift away. "You dummy!" He whispered fiercely. "Don't you ever do something so stupid again!"

She held him, her tears falling down her face. "It's okay, Inuyasha...it's over now...It's over and we're together...everything's going to be okay..."

Inuyasha stood, holding her in his arms and lay her against the bed, then moved onto it beside her. "Can I stay like this?" He asked, rolling her so her back was against his chest and his arms were around her. He buried his nose into her hair, craving any hint of her scent.

She smiled, snuggling back against his chest. "I was hoping you would..."

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The next day was a Sunday.

Kagome woke slowly, feeling warm, complete. She tried to shift, but she was anchored very firmly by the two warm arms that were wrapped around her. She looked down, seeing that at some point, they had found their way into the haori and his hands were resting against her stomach. A light flush colored her face and she turned her head.

Inuyasha was still sleeping. His face was peaceful, a small smile turning up the corners of his lips.

She squirmed around so she was facing him and stared at his face for a long time. His eyebrows were smooth, his hair fell carelessly across his face and the dragon tails that framed either side of his face were tangled and matted. Her face softened. "You went through hell in your own way, didn't you...even before you actually came to get me..." She wrapped her arms around him, snuggling closer to his chest. "Oh, Inuyasha..." She whispered. "I missed you..."

"Kagome...?" He blearily opened his eyes and stared at her. Chestnut brown met striking violet and he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. "It wasn't a dream, then...you're alive..." A smile touched his lips and he looked into her eyes relieved. "You're here...with me...right where you belong."

She smiled, lifting her hand and caressed his face. "We should get cleaned up..."

He blushed. "Together?" He whispered, afraid to lift his voice any higher than that.

She flushed as well. "I...ifthat'swhatyouwant..." She whispered back, unable to speak louder. A tiny smile turned up the corners of her mouth and she caressed his face gently. "Oh, Inuyasha...I missed you so much..." She whispered, embracing him more tightly.

Slowly, reluctantly, the pair unwound themselves from each other and Inuyasha helped Kagome to her feet. He gently brushed her hair back from her eyes and gave her a weary smile. She smiled back, taking his hand and leading him towards the bathroom.

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When they emerged, both looked like they felt substancially better. They crept back towards Kagome's room and the girl quickly changed into a comfortable outfit. After being naked for five hundred years, she felt really strange wearing clothing again, and she idly wondered if she'd be able to continue on with school, having it been so long for her.

When they reemerged again, Kagome's mother was cooking a modest breakfast in the kitchen. She went to her teenage daughter and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Will you two be returning to the past again today?" She asked, giving the now human Inuyasha a once over. How she would miss those dog ears...

"Yes..." Kagome said, giving a small smile.

"We'll be back." Inuyasha said, not glancing towards Kagome. "Very soon...the mission is over, so there's no need to stay there..."

Kagome looked towards him in surprise. "We...?" Her eyes widened and she threw her arms around his neck enthusiastically. "Oh, Inuyasha!" She whispered, her eyes tearing up.

"Does that mean you intend to stay with us now?" Mrs. Higurashi arched a fine eyebrow, with-holding her smile. She watched the teenage boy nod, smiling at her daughter. "Well...I guess we'll just have to make up an extra room then...or you could share a room with Souta..."

Kagome lowered her eyes, somewhat disappointed.

"And of course, you'll have to be enrolled into school..."

Inuyasha gulped, looking down at Kagome. He stared at the top of her head and pulled her against his chest. "Fine. Whatever." He said, his voice rough. "Just as long as you're not going to forbid me from being with your daughter." He half-glared at the woman.

The woman nodded shortly. "I wasn't going to break my daughter's heart, Inuyasha." She said, smiling a bit.

Kagome pressed her face into Inuyasha yukatta to hide her blush. "Let's go now, okay? They should just be waking up..." Kagome lifted her face to smile at him and saw him wearing a relieved expression on his face. She gave her mom a quick hug and drug him from the shrine, towards the wellhouse. Shyly, she glanced up at his face. "Inuyasha...you really want to stay with me?"

"I said I did, didn't I!" He glared at her, blushing. "Damn, woman..." He looked away, hiding his small smile with his hair. He felt her enthusiastically hug him and blushed, turning to look at her.

"I love you so much!" She whispered. She felt his arms fold willingly around her and sighed happily. She bit her lip and raised her gase to stare up into Inuyasha's bright violet eyes. "What happened...with Kikyou?" She asked softly.

He gave her the tiniest of smiles. "I might have been a bit too harsh..." He looked at her from under his eyebrows, making him, to Kagome, even more cute. "But...we 'broke up'. That is what you called it, right?"

She felt her eyes tear up and she threw her arms even tighter around him.

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OWARI

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_AN: Owari and stuff. I might do a sequel...I don't know...my sequels tend to never get finished. I'll see what I can do...maybe a long one shot about Kagome and Inuyasha and their friends response to their decision to stay in the future...or better yet, Inuyasha going to school! CACKLES THE TORTURE SHALL SOON RESUME!_


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